dudley



(No Modelt) P. H. DUDLEY.

RAILWAY SLEEPER.

Patented Oct. 6, 1885. 4%?

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PLIMMON H. DUDLEY, OF NEXV YORK, N. Y.

RAILWAY-SLEEPER.

SFLZCIFECATIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 327,667, dated October 6,1885.

Application filed May 22, less.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PLIMMoN H. DUDLEY, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railway-Sleepers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of sleepers or supports for the rails of railways, which consist of a metallic sleeper or bowl placed below the rail and an elastic block of wood or other yielding material seated upon the me tallic sleeper or bowl and forming the direct support of the rail.

The invention consists in novel features of construction and combinations of parts,whioh are hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of a sleeper embodying my invention and two rails supported thereon. Fig. 2 is a vertical section in a plane parallel with Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the plane of the dotted line a as, Fig. 1, but illus' trating a modification of the invention. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section of a sleeper or bowl which is of a length to support two blocks; also showing two rails supported thereon. Fig. 5 is a sectional View similar to Fig. 4, but showing the sleeper of a length to holdthree blocks. Fig. 6 is a transverse section of two track-rails and two separate bowls and blocks supporting them, the two rails and sleepers or bowls being tied together to prevent spreading of the track. Figs. 7 and 8 are sectional views of bowls and blocks embodying slight modifications of my invention. Fig. 9is a perspeotive view of one of the wood or other blocks whichI may employ, and Fig. 10 represents one of the bolts which are employed for clamping the rails in place.

Similar letters of reference designate corre sponding parts in all the figures.

In all-cases A designates the rails, and B designates the bowls or bosses, which may be made singly, and each support a block, 0, of wood, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, or which may be made of a length to support two or more blocks each, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

Each of the bowls or sleepers B has, as here represented, a downwardly-flaring base portion, 6, which may be straight or curved, and

Serial No. 166,366. (No model.)

I which has, preferably, at its outer edge, a downwardly-turned rim, 1).

In the form of my invention shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the bowls B each support a single block 0, and are constructed with an upward ly-projeeting box or casing, If, forming a socket to receive and confine the block 0. This block and the box or casing may be rectangular, as here shown, or of other form, and the box or casing has at opposite sides lugs or ears 12*, as shown in Figs. 1 and 8. The rails A rest upon the blocks 0, and are there held by clamps c, which are constructed to bear upon the flange of the rail, as shown best in Fig. 3, and to rest upon the top of the box or casing 22 These clamps c are held in place by bolts D, which, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, pass through the base I) of the bowl B and through the lugs or ears b*, and are provided at their lower ends with heads d and at their upper ends with nuts (1. The heads (I of the bolts D are of peculiar construction. They have a greater projection on the sides which are remote from the box I) and a less projection on the sides of the bolts adjacent to the box If. i

The holes in the base portion 1) through which the bolts D are passed are elongated in a direction away from the box If, and when the nuts d have been removed and the bolts slipped down to free them from the ears b they may, if swung outward, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3, be removed from the holes the heads (I being no wider than the bolts, as will be seen from Fig. 10. Theholes may then be utilized to introduce sand or other ballast into the bowl or sleeper B, or a small tampingbar may be introduced through them for ramming down the ballast. This may be done and the track surfaced without removing the block 0 from its box or socket.

The bowlor sleeper B (shown in Fig. 2) has the boxportion or block-socket 1) formed with asolid bottom, I); butthe form ofsleeper shown in Fig. 3 has a false or loose bottom, b which rests upon flanges or rests provided within the box or socket, and may be removed when the block 0 is not in place, in order to permit the introduction of ballast within the bowl.

In the examples of my invention shown in Figs 1, 2, and 3 the four sides of the box or socket b are complete and continuous, and

the block 0 can only be removed by lifting'it 4 bodily upward and out of the box or socket.

Turning now to Figs. 4 and 5 it will beseen that the bowls or sleepers B are constructed to support more than one block 0, the sleeper shown in Fig. 4 being adapted to support two blocks, and that shown in Fig. 5 three blocks.

In Figs. 4 and 5 the blocks 0 are each surrounded by a metal band, C, which may be driven upon it, as shown in Fig. 9, and prevents the splitting of the block.

In the examples shown in Figs. 4 and 5 the box or socket for the block 0 is open on two sides, and on those sides there is only a slight lip or rib, b, which retains the block in place laterally, and also serves to hold the false bottom b in place. The block with its band rests in the seat provided for it on the false bottom 11 and the rails A are supported on the blocks and there secured by clamps and bolts like those before described.

I have represented the long sleepers or bowls B (shown in Figs. 4 and 5) as provided with cross-partitions b which prevent. water from running and guttering under, the sleeper when laid on a gradient, and which also prevent the sleeper from working in the direction of traffic or downward when laid on a steep gradient. These partitions also serve to strengthen the sleepers or bowls, and may be at right angles to the top thereof, as shown in full lines, or inclined, as shown by dotted lines in. Fig. 4. The lower profile of the partitions b will be seen from Fig. 6, to which I now refer.

In Fig. 6, which is supposed to be a transverse section of two track-rails supported by sleepers such as are shown in Fig. 5, are represented bolts D and clamps c, for holding down the rails, similar to those shown in Fig. 3.

As the boxes or block-sockets 6 (shown in Fig. 6) are supposed to be open on one orboth.

sides, which are transverse to the length of the rail, I have represented the rails A as tied together by a cross-rod or stretcher, E, the ends of which form clamps 0, and are secured by the bolts D. The crossrod or tie E may have an Ishaped, T-shap ed, or other suitable transverse section, or may consist simply of a flat bar or a round rod. It may be secured at its ends to the rail flange or web independently of thebolts D, and separate clamps 0, such as are on the outer side of the rail, may be used on the inner sides thereof.

The construction shown in Fig. 7. is like that shown in Fig.3,save that the bolts D do not extend through the base portion b, of the sleeper or bowl B, as do the bolts D, but simply pass through the lugs or ears bl. The rail is held by clamps a, secured by the bolts D, as before described.

In the example of my invention shown in Fig. 8 I have shown a bowl or sleeper 13' having at the top a block seat or rest formed by slight ribs or flanges b within which is a .tain the block than could the box-like portion of the sleeper, in which the block is loosely fitted to permit of its ready removal therefrom. Fig. 9 shows a similar band, 0, surrounding the block 0 at about the middle of its height, and having lugs or cars 11* for the reception of holding-down bolts.

In all the examples of my invention the base portion of the sleeper and its box portion which forms the blockso'cket may be of 8- wrought or cast metal, and made separately or formed integral; hence it will be seen that the principal part of the sleeper is of indestructible material, and the wood block is protected and confined so as to avoid splitting or crushing. The employment at the false bottom inv the blockseat is very desirable, because when it is removed a large opening is afforded, through which ballast maybe introduced and rammed down within the sleeper.

It will also be seen that while the elongated holes and elongated bolt-head's d afford facility for removing the bolts when desired, there is no danger of the bolts failing tohold .when the nuts d are tightened, because the heads 01 have a tendency to slide upward on the inclined under side of the sleeper B, which brings the bolts into these ends of the slots which are nearest the rail, and causes their heads to lap on the under sideof the sleeper at each end of the slots When the box or block-socket is not complete on all four sides, the block can be readily removed laterally witho'utremo'ving the rail, and the false bottom b3 1 marten be removed to enable more ballast to be introduced. A. longer or shorter block can then be inserted in the place of the one removed; hence it will be seen that great facility is afforded for surfacing the track as may be necessary, and it may be done by introducing sand into the bowls by placing sm'all's'hims or plates of metal under the rails or by inserting longer blocks, and without disturbing the ballast.

In lieuof employing blocks 0 of wood, I may employblocks of other elastic or yielding material, which will, like wood, absorb and diminish the shock produced by the passage of trains over the track.

I have not represented any fastenings for the joints between the rails, as such fastenings form no part'of my invention. I may employ fish-plates or any other wellknown or suitable fastenin'gs. v I I V The'sleep'ers or bowls will usually be buried in ballastabove their flaring base portions" 1), and nearly to the top of the box portions or block -sockets I2 I have here omitted the ballast in order to show more clearly the parts to which my invention relates.

WVhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination,with a metallic sleeper or bowl, of an elastic block to be seated on the sleeper or bowl to form a support for the rail, and a metal band independent 01" the sleeper or bowl, permanently secured upon and encircling and closely confining the block, substantially as herein described.

2. The combination,with a metallic sleeper or bowl and a railway-rail, of an elastic block seated upon the sleeper or bowl and support ing the rail, a band independent of the sleeper or bowl surrounding the block and provided with laterally-projecting lugs or cars, clamps for engaging the base-flange of the rail, and

' bolts connecting the sleeper or bowl and clamps and passing through the lugs or ears on the said band, substantially as herein described.

8. The combination,with a metallic sleeper or bowl having a block-seat at the top and a removable or false bottom fitted to said seat, of an elastic block seated on the sleeper or bowl to form a support for a railway-rail, substantially as herein described.

4. The combination,with a metallic sleeper or bowl having at the top a block-seat surrounded by upwardly-proj ecting flanges or ribs, of a removable or false bottom fitted within the flanges or ribs and by them confined laterally, and an elastic block seated within the flanges or ribs and also held laterally in place thereby, substantially as herein described.

5. The combination,wit-h a railway-rail and an elastic block supporting the same, of a metallic sleeper or bowl having at the top a block-seat and having its base portion flaring or inclined downward and outward away from the block-seat, and also having on the concave under side a downwardly-proj ecting partition or flange which extends transversely to the length of the sleeper or bowl and to the line of the rail, substantially as herein described.

6. The combinatiomwith the rails A, of the metallic sleepers or bowls B, placed below the rails, the blocks 0, seated on the sleepers or bowls and supporting the rails, and a crossbar or tie-rod, the ends of which form clamps bearing on the base-flanges of the rails, and are secured to the sleepers or bowls, substantially as herein described.

7. The combination,with a metallic sleeper or bowl having at the top a block-seat and slots extending in opposite directions from said seat, of a block in said seat, a rail supported on said block, clamps for securing the rail, and bolts D, for securing said clamps passing through the slots in the sleeper or bowl, and having elongated heads (I, which may be withdrawn from said slots when the bolts are tilted outward into an inclined position, substantially as herein described.

FREDK. HAYNEs, MATTHEW PoLLocK. 

